Qualcomm mirasol on Two More E-Readers

At CES 2012, Qualcomm announced two more e-readers using its 5.7” mirasol display; these will be from Chinese companies Shanda and Hanvon. In November, Korea-based Kyobo released the first e-reader with mirasol display technology.

All three e-readers use the same size and resolution display: a 5.7” XGA format (1024 × 768 at 223 ppi). The Shanda-branded e-reader is named Bambook Sunflower, to emphasize its good sunlight readability, and will be available in February. The availability of the Hanvon C18 e-reader has not yet been announced.

The mirasol displays used on the current e-readers are produced in the Gen 4.5 fab that Qualcomm and Foxlink have been operating since mid-2009. Qualcomm has invested about $1 billion to build its fully-owned Gen 4.5 fab, which is expected to be operational in 2012.